Resolving Conflicts Through Mediation

The executive director at the The Mediation Center of the Pacific shared important information about the nonprofit’s Kupuna Pono program in Generations Margazine’s June/July 2016 issue.

Every family eventually has disagreements regarding elder care and support. In short, Kupuna Pono is a program designed to help family members talk about difficult issues and develop plans to support elderly family members.

However, the center also offers a wide range of other mediation services that may be of value to elders, and their families and caregivers.

TYPES OF MEDIATION

CIVIL RIGHTS MEDIATION: The center receives referrals from the Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission (HCRC) involving various types of workplace, housing and merchant discrimination complaints. Mediation is offered by HCRC as an alternative to the traditional investigative and litigation processes.

CUSTODY MEDIATION: The least costly, less stressful approach to reaching agreements about where children will live and how time-sharing and co-parenting will work, is through mediation.

DIVORCE MEDIATION: At the center, impartial mediators help couples talk and negotiate agreements on all of the issues that are required to finalize their divorce.

EMPLOYMENT MEDIATION: From co-worker disputes to disagreements between supervisors and employees, mediation offers a confidential, safe forum to discuss the issues, gain perspective and work through differences.

LANDLORD/TENANT MEDIATION: With the assistance of a mediator, tenants and landlords can agree on payment plans, repairs and more. If the tenant is not able to keep up with the rent, mediation can help parties to agree on a move-out date, rather than going to court.

SPECIAL EDUCATION: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) encourages parents and schools to collaborate as a united support for each student. When differences arise, mediation provides parents and schools with the opportunity to work out solutions to meet the individual needs of the student.

No matter what type is required, mediation enables and empowers the parties involved to reach an agreement that they all can live with.